


Gallavich - Faded

by JD_Steiner



Series: It's Not So Wrong To Be....Shameless !!! [1]
Category: Shameless (UK), Shameless (US)
Genre: #gallavich, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Chicago (City), F/M, Gay Bashing, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Multi, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-05 21:36:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17332790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JD_Steiner/pseuds/JD_Steiner
Summary: After some time away, Ian is forced to move back into the Gallagher household, much to the joy of his older sister, Fiona. After a previous fight that had led to Ian leaving, they hadn't spoken until now.Upon settling back into the chaos of the family, the lifestyle he knows, Ian begins to think about Mickey and what they shared together. That's where everything begins to get weird. But to the Gallaghers, that's just a typical day in their southern Chicago neighborhood!!





	1. Homecoming

Ian stood out on the front step of the house he shared with his siblings, dressed in his EMT uniform and a green hoodie. As usual, it was a chaotic morning inside the Gallagher household. Out here on the front step though, it was a different story. The birds chirped in the trees that soaked up the morning sun from overhead, down the street, one of the neighbors mowed their lawn. Hopefully, he'll be done soon Ian thought to himself; the house would be empty and he needed sleep; having just finished a night shift as a busy EMT.....   
The front door to the house opened and his siblings came spilling out. Debbie first who greeted him with a chipper “Good morning Ian!” as she walked past him, pushing her daughter, Frannie, in a stroller “Sorry can't stay and chat, already running late!”  
Next was Carl “Yo, sup Ian?” The brothers fistbumped   
“Hey Carl, how's things been with you? We got some catching up to do.”  
“We sure do! Van, after school?”  
“You got it!”  
Carl ran off down the block, chasing after Debbie. Liam came down the steps, smiling as he sees Ian before breaking into a run and crashing into his arms excitedly “Ian!”   
“Hey, little man!”  
“I missed you.”  
“I missed you too.”  
“How come you aren't around a lot anymore? “  
Ian knelt down, so they were on the same level, well as even as you can get, despite the age difference.   
“I know, I'm sorry, O.K. It's just, I work, a lot. There are a lot of people in Chicago that need help and that's what I do.” Ian paused and looked up as the door opened again and Lip came out onto the front step, a cigarette in his mouth. Taking a lighter out of his pocket, he lit the cig as Ian continued “Hey, look, I have a few days off now so how about you get off to school and we uh, schedule something for later, After I've had a nap and a shower, alright?”  
Liam smiles and nods at this “Oh Kay.” Turning he hurries after his siblings, off to school.  
Ian turned and joined Lip on the steps now, sitting next to one another on the third step down from the top. Lip offers Ian the burning cigarette, which he accepts.   
“Thanks”  
“No prob bro... I heard you tell Liam you're keeping busy.”  
“Yeah, it's been super busy lately, stupid people, doing stupid shit. It never ends. You? Are you still at Patsy's?” He hands the cig back.  
Lip takes a drag of the cigarette, exhales, nodding “We are currently shorthanded a dishwasher, so I've been picking up some extra hours. Help Fiona out.”  
“Ahh, that's good, extra cash. Any plans for the fall?”  
“ Nah, just gonna stick around, for now, work make cash. What about you? We haven't seen you for days.”  
Ian takes the cig out of his mouth, exhales and hands it back to Lip “Busy at work, just tryin' to figure some shit out.”   
“Where've you been stayin'? Mickey's?”  
Ian shook his head “I've been sleepin' at the station. I tried to call Mickey a few times but he didn't answer.”  
“Does this have anything to do with what happened between you and Fiona last week?”  
“You heard about that?”  
“I was upstairs when it happened. I heard the two of you shouting about money and expenses, chores. The usual bullshit. Then there was something about you and your meds. It was too muffled, I could only hear bits and pieces. Whatever she said really pissed you off, 'cause you stormed out and slammed the door.”  
Ian nodded “Yeah, that's what I'm here about. I owe Fiona an apology. I'm guessing she already left for work?”  
Lip takes his phone out of his pocket, looks at the time “Speaking of which, I gotta run, I'm gonna be late!” he picks up his cigarette pack and lighter from the step. “Fiona's inside. She loaned her car to V and Kev to do some errands.”   
Descending the steps, Lip walks toward the gate before turning back “See you later?”  
'Yup!”  
Taking a last drag of the cigarette, Ian disposed of the butt and headed up the front stairs and into the house.


	2. Frank's What Happened....

Walking in through the front door, he called out “Fiona?”  
It was quiet, except for a rustling at the very back of the house, in the kitchen “Fiona, are you in here?”  
“Ian? I'm back here!”  
Ian walked through the house, to the kitchen where he found the eldest of the Gallagher siblings  
“Hey Fiona, I need to talk to you.”  
Fiona stood up from where she was bent down, scrubbing out a lower cupboard.  
Already exacerbated she sighed heavily, wiping her brow with the maroon sleeve of the t-shirt she wore “What did you do now?”  
“Nothing.”  
'Have you seen Frank?”  
“No.”  
“Thank Fuck!” She got back down on her knees to continue scrubbing.  
“Wait, what happened here?” the stench hit him and Ian covered his mouth and nose with his arm. “Ohhh that reaks!”  
“You weren't here, I wouldn't worry about it.”  
Ian reaches and grabs his wallet out of his back pocket. Opening it, he takes out a bunch of bills, holding them out for Fiona to take.  
“No really, you're not broke, that's clear. So what the fuck did you do this time? So we know what to say when the cops show up at our door!” Fiona stood up as she shouted angrily, she still had to look up to stare at her little brother in the face.  
“I didn't do anything, Fiona, God! What is wrong with you!!”  
“What?” She looked up at him. “What did you just say?”  
“Would you please stop pushing my buttons!” Ian turned away from his older sibling now, exacerbated, his hands on his head in disbelief. Taking a deep breath he calmed down and turned around.  
“Ok...Look, here's the deal, I know that we haven't really seen eye to eye lately and I am not really going to be here a whole lot. But I do want to be able to sleep and shower here, eat occasionally too. I was hoping that we could come to some sort of... agreement? Fiona stood up again, glancing at the money in his hand. “So, you're sayin' you need a place to live?”  
“For now...Until I can get some money together and get my own place or until Mickey and I get a place together...yeah.”  
Reluctantly she grabs it from him, folding it she puts it in the back pocket of her jeans. “How much is there?”  
“Five hundred, I can get you more when I get paid.”  
“No, that should be enough. But you're gonna have to pull your weight around here, do you understand me?”  
Ian nods.  
“You can start by taking out that garbage over there.”  
Ian walks over to it, gets a whiff of the foul odors from within, wretches “What the hell is this?”  
“Frank, that's what happened here.”  
“In that case, I don't wanna know.”  
“C'mon, surely you've dealt with worse than that at work!”  
“Yeah, sure. Once we picked up this one lady, she had toes that were gangrene..”  
'Ugh, Ian, enough!”  
This made Ian giggle as he exited through the back door, closing it behind him.

After he came back from taking out the garbage, it took them another twenty-five minutes to finish cleaning up the mess that their alcoholic/addict father, Frank, had left in the kitchen the night before. Ian washed his hands in the sink as Fiona grabbed her car keys off of the counter “I gotta run, I am already late and we are in the middle of the breakfast rush. Thanks for all your help, I appreciate it.”  
“Yeah, no problem.”  
“You get some rest now and we will talk about the whole rent thing later on tonight as a family, ok?”  
'Yeah.”  
Fiona headed toward the front door she turned back toward him “Everybody's gonna be glad your home.” She smiled at him and turned to leave. This made Ian smile too.  
As the front door closed behind Fiona, Ian headed upstairs to have a nice hot shower now that there was lots of both.

Twenty minutes later, fresh from the shower, still wrapped in a towel, he collapsed onto his bed.


	3. Family Meeting

The sound of an inbound commercial flight bolted Ian awake where he lay, face down, in the tall, yellowed grass. A cold evening autumn wind blew over him, making him shiver as he turned over on his back and looked at himself to find he was not dressed for the weather. Staring up at the stars, barely visible in the sky at dusk.he realized that this was definitely no place for just jeans and a white tank top. “Where the hell am I?” he said quietly to himself as he got up and looked around, recognizing the place immediately as the Damen Silos. A network of grain silos and processing factory which closed in 1977 after an explosion rendered the plant useless. Now, it had been abandoned for years and a target for thieves and vandals as well as urban explorers who wanted to check out the place. He had never really thought to check it out himself, but oddly enough now, he felt drawn to it. Before he even realized, he'd taken steps forward and was making his way toward the concrete and metal structures. A voice that seemed to come out of thin air whispered in his ear 'Ian...I'm over here!'  
Ian looked over his left shoulder, expecting to see Mickey standing there. No Mickey.  
Now the voice came from his right 'This way...' it seemed to fade into the air around him and he stopped in his tracks. “Mickey?”  
He worriedly ran a hand through his hair which was getting long, shouting now “MICKEY!!!”  
There was still no reply. Deep down, Ian knew that there was something wrong and that he needed to find Mickey now before it was too late. Anxiety began to rise up and he began to tear up, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand as he walked “MICKEY!!”  
Silence, like the calm before a storm. He looked up again, the sky was clear, not a cloud in sight.  
“Miiicccckeeeyyy!!” Emotion overwhelmed him and he sank to his knees, tears running down his face “Miiiicccckkkkeeeyy!!! Where Are You!.... Mickey!”  
'Over here' came the voice again, seemingly out of nowhere.  
Turning toward the towering silos, there was Mickey standing there, waving at him. Except...something was strange. He was pale, so pale, under the green tank top and black shorts he wore.  
“Mickey, is that you?”...”I..I've been trying to call, I've been so worried about you.”  
Mickey didn't say anything, he just raised an arm, palm up, motioning with two fingers for Ian to come and join him.  
'This way...' Mickey seemed to float as he moved away and Ian followed behind him, again not fully aware that he was actually taking steps forward, but instead being drawn forward by some well beyond his own. Down they went, into the tunnels below, a maze of chambers which had become a canvas for many graffiti artists. Here, small windows let in outside light which set a dark and somewhat creepy tone. The sand floor was littered with the debris of crumbled concrete and garbage left by kids who came here to party. A muffled; anguished scream echoed through the halls, followed immediately by another. Recognizing them as Mickey's, Ian immediately took off toward where he thought they originated. “Mickey! Mickey!” Another scream, this time more of acutely inflicted pain.  
Ian stops and looks around for something, anything to use as a weapon, as he would rather be prepared. Nothing but garbage here.  
Another scream of pain this time mixed with more agony “Shit!”  
Looking around, he was alone “Shit...” Outside, daylight was starting to disappear. If he was going to rescue Mickey, he would have to do it quick. Taking out his cell phone, he turned on the screen and unlocked the phone, checking the charge 76%. Next, he turned on the flashlight feature before he pushed forward toward something he hoped wouldn't end in the worst.  
There were no more loud screams now as Ian moved forward, he didn't take that as good. Something scampered in the shadows, making him jump, send his heart racing in his chest as he backed up to the wall. Taking a few deep breaths he tried to steady himself for anything else that may happen. Whispers and laughter seemed to echo off of the walls as he stood up and began once again to make his way forward. Mickey's screams had become dull moans now which made him harder to hear as outside, it had started to rain. The sound of the rain hitting the concrete echoed as well, the driving wind whistling as it came in and out through the windows, thunder boomed loudly overhead as if a storm had just come in out of nowhere. Lightning momentarily lit up the sky, quick flashes of light illuminating the walls and the graffiti that covered them. Ian thought he saw movement in the shadows and the lightning catch a glint of something metallic. One split second and it was already gone.  
Turning another corner, Ian entered a room, a window at one end, the round room was held up by steel pillars that followed the circular pattern and allowed for different doors to enter and exit. In the middle of the room, a metal contraption hung from the ceiling. Mickey was hanging from it, tied crudely by ropes around his wrists which had been tied to this contraption at the corners. A crude set of restraints around Mickey's ankles are attached by short chains to cinder blocks that lay in the sand, weighted down with sandbags. This prevented him from kicking out at whoever did this to him.  
Ian looked around, stopping to listen to see if he could hear any other movement that could be human. Not detecting anything that could interfere, he moved closer to Mickey now the EMT in him kicked in and he wanted to examine Mickey's injuries.  
“Mickey!” He called out, with no response “Mick!” Ian gently taps Mickey's cheek with his fingers. Mickey let out a shallow breath, followed by a moan of agony.  
“Hey, it's ok... it's ok... Shh, it's me, Ian.” He whispered as he began to check out the various lacerations on Mickey's face including a bad one above his left eye that looked to be pretty deep. The blood had ran down the side of his face and onto his clothes. The wound itself was still oozing blood.  
Another shallow breath “Ian?” Mickey's voice barely came from between chapped lips, the lower one had been split open in the beating.  
“It's me, it's going to be ok, I'm gonna get you out of here.” Ian looks around, finding a milk crate to stand on, he gets up and unties Mickey's hands, throwing Mickey over his shoulder like he learned in the ROTC. Taking his cell phone out of his pocket, he dials 911 as he makes his way outside. “Hello, this is off duty EMT Gallagher, I'm at the Damen Silo's with a 19-year-old male, Mickey Milkovich....yes, the Damen Silos...Lacerations to his face and body of varying degrees, head trauma, it looks like he was pistol-whipped, barely conscious...MIckey! Hang in there.. help is on the way...”  
As he said it, everything that was happening suddenly became real and he sank to his knees as he had before. Hands shaking, he was unable to hold the phone, dropping it, it fell into the grass. The dispatch operator on the other end could be heard “Hello? Mr. Gallagher?”

Ian is jolted awake with a gasp; his whole body jerking in the bed, he's visibly upset, shaking, he feels as if his whole body is vibrating. Unstoppable tears flow from his eyes as he bolts upright in bed and as the room comes into focus; he realizes that he is safe, at home. Yet, his heart still aches and he can feel it, thumping up against his ribs like it wants to bust out of his chest. Taking a couple of deep breaths, he forces himself to calm down as he grabs his phone to check the time. 6:20pm.  
He could hear his siblings all talking loudly over one another, down in the kitchen, even though the bedroom door. Laying back down he turns over in bed, he pulling the covers back up over him, pushing his head into the pillow, facing the wall as if to will himself to go back to sleep.  
Just as he felt he was about to drift back off, heavy footsteps came up over the back stairs, a few seconds later there was a knock at the bedroom door as it opened. “Hey” It was Lip “How ya doin?”He came into the room and over to the edge of Ian's bed and Ian pretended to be asleep and not hear him.  
“C'mon Ian, you can't sleep all day. ..or pretend to be asleep or whatever it is that you do....”  
Ian just gave him an annoyed grunt “Go away, just let me sleep.”  
“Please, turn over and face me so I can at least talk to you for a minute.” Lip heard Ian sigh but he didn't move from his current position. “Alright, fine just.. listen then; I guess.”  
“Oh, here we go, one of Lip's famous speech's!”  
“This is either going to have to come from me or you will definitely hear it from Fiona. Believe me, right now, you don't want to get any further on her bad side than you already are.” Lip picked up a plush toy belonging to their little brother, Liam and threw it at his brothers head  
“Ahh! Knock it off!”  
“Ian, even though you may be taller than me and stronger than me, you are still my little brother.” This caught Ian's attention now and he turned over, giving his older a brother a look of 'so what?' before chucking the plush toy back at him.  
“As your big bro, I just wanna say what I think I need to say.”  
“Go ahead then, no one's stopping you.”  
“Whoa, one second, you don't look good, what's goin' on, Ian? Wanna talk?”  
“Is this about the fight between me and Fiona? Because if it is, that's all been worked out. I am paying rent now.”  
“Well, it is good to have you home. It's felt like a piece of the Gallagher puzzle has been missing without you here.”  
This made Ian smile.  
“Actually, I'm not up here because of your fight with Fiona, I'm up here because we are all worried about you. Fiona says you've been sleeping all day, like your bipolar has been acting up again. Are you takin' your meds like you're supposed to?”  
“Yeah, just had a bit of a rough sleep is all. I wanted to get up earlier, guess I slept through my alarm.” He points to the phone on the nightstand beside the bed.  
“Ok, well family meeting downstairs.”  
Ian picked up his phone and unlocked it to disengage the alarm. The clock read 6:14 pm.  
“Shit! I totally forgot I told Liam earlier that we would hang out. I hope he's not mad at me.”  
“I don't think so.” Phillip walks a few steps towards the door.  
“Lip.”  
“Yeah?”  
“I miss you.”  
“Missed you too...little brother.” Lip smiled as he said the last bit teasingly. Sometimes it was nice to be the second oldest. Ian smiled at this too.  
“I”ll meet you downstairs in a minute.”

Ian came down over the front stairs a few minutes later, to join the family in the kitchen, dressed in jeans and green and grey tank top. “Hey, family.”  
“Ian! You're up!” Debbie exclaimed as Ian came over and sat in his favorite spot at the head of the table by the window. Carl came back from the fridge with a can of coke. “Hey Ass, that's my spot!”  
“You weren't in it.”  
Knowing he couldn't win against Ian, Carl sat on one of the stools in front of the counter.  
Ian grabbed a mug from the center of the table and poured himself a cup of coffee from the pot sitting in the center of the table on a dishtowel.  
“Alright!” Came Fiona's voice over everybody's. She had to shout to be heard as it seemed the more that everyone talked, the louder it got. “Family business.” She gave her siblings time to quiet down. “As you can all see, Ian has moved back home.” There was a round of cheers from the family.  
“I'm here just until I can get on my feet. “  
“Stay Ian, Please... “Came a desperate plea from Debbie, who was sitting at his right. “Frannie needs her Uncle Ian.” bouncing her daughter in her lap, who cooed away, smiling at her Uncle.  
“I missed you too, Frannie, yes, Uncle Ian missed you!” He talked cutely to the infant who giggled at him, smiling.  
“First order of business..” Fiona continued Bills are due, so pony up!” She handed around the fruit basket like it was a collection plate. Carl, upon emptying his pockets and throwing in a wad of bills, realized the basket had bypassed Ian.  
“Hey! How come Ian doesn't have to pay anything towards bills?”  
“Cause I've already given Fiona my rent money, like a responsible adult, dingus!”  
“Yeah after your big fight.”  
“Shut up!”  
“Ian and Carl!” Came Fi's voice directed at them “Enough you two.” before turning back to the Gallagher brood “ There are going to be some new rules in this house that you are going to have to follow if you want to live here. One, if you are over sixteen and are earning money, you are required to pay rent.  
“Ha Ha!”  
“Shut Up, Carl!” Came Deb's snarky voice from across the table as she screwed up her face at her little brother. “You will be sixteen on y our birthday, dumbass!”  
Fiona ignored them “This helps pay for food, bills, taxes and into the squirrel fund for a rainy day when we need it. With all of us pitching in, it makes it easier on all of us, it's not as big a burden when it's shared. “  
“What about Frank?” Lip spoke up “He takes our money rather than gives, eats all our food and drinks all our beer.”  
“Don't worry, we will find a way to deal with him. Does anyone know where Frank is right now?”  
There was a chorus of “No” from around the room.  
“Ok, if you go in our out, the doors get locked. In the morning, we all pitch in and Frank-proof this house. I don't want him getting in.” She looked around the room at her siblings “Are we clear?”  
Everyone nodded, including Liam who was just sitting in a chair, quiet with a toy in his hands.  
Next order of business, I was supposed to go grocery shopping tomorrow but I am needed at the Diner, we're shorthanded.”  
Lip raised his hand “I'll do it if I can take your car. I'll drop Liam off at school too.”  
“As long as you're fine dropping me off at work for seven?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Ok then! That's settled. Lip I will give you grocery money in the morning...”  
The front door burst open, Kev and V rushing in through the living room in a total panic. V could barely get the words out, as she said them, shots rang out “You have to come quick, it's Mickey!”  
“What the Fuck?” Fiona shouted as more shots rang out and everyone in the house ran to the front room to look out the window just in time to see Mickey come running down the street, stark naked, screaming “Fuck!....Fuck you, dad!” He was followed by his father, Terry who fired another gunshot, this time up into the air .“Ahh!... Why the fuck did they let you out of prison anyway?” They soon retreated down the block. Ian, grabbing his jacket took off after them. Terry could be heard screaming “I'm gonna disown you, you little faggot shit!”  
In the living room, V exclaimed “And I thought I'd seen everything...” she paused momentarily “That is, except for Milkovich junk..until tonight.” Both V and Fiona burst out laughing at this, V following up with “What do you have for alcohol? I'm gonna need a drink or fifteen to wipe away the image of Mickey Milkovich's junk!”  
This only made Fiona laugh harder as they walked to the kitchen.  
“Shouldn't we go catch up with them, you know, see if everybody's alright?”  
Kev who had followed them into the kitchen offered “It's Terry Milkovich, I'll go.. god only knows what he's gonna do if he gets his hands on Mickey.” He offered a comforting hug to his wife. I'd rather not have you see that, baby.”  
“Plus, Ian's an EMT, he knows what he's doin.” Fiona interjected as she poured hard liquor into glasses for herself and V.  
Kev kissed V now “As soon as I know anything, I'll call.” making for the back door, he left the house to go find the chaos that went along with living on Chicago's south side.


	4. Cross My Heart....and I Hope To Die...

Mandy caught up with her father and brother first, Mickey laying face down in the empty lot where a house once stood. Their father over him, a knee on firmly on his sons's back, a 9mm pointed at Mickey's head. Mickey, in obvious pain, was screaming his head off “Fuck! Get the Fuck offa me!! You Son Of A Bitch!! I'm Gonna Kill You!!”  
“Not if I Kill You First!” Terry growled back at him, pressing the muzzle of the gun to the side of his son's head.  
“Dad!” Terry looked up to see his only daughter standing there. “What the fuck are you doing? Get off of him! He's your son!”  
“Yeah, he's my son, but he's a Faggot!” As he says this, Terry pistol whips Mickey, making him bleed from his temple. “You see, Mandy, that's the problem.” He hits Mickey again, this time a closed fist to the side of the face.  
“Dad! Stop!”  
Ian catches up to them, slightly out of breath. “Hey Mandy.”  
“Hey Ian.” She smiled at him “It's been a while, Boyfriend.” she teased, referring back to the days before Ian had come out and she had pretended to be his girlfriend to save him being harassed. This made Ian smile too. “Dad's trying to beat the gay out of Mickey. … I think. .. .Oh and he's got a gun and probably some other weapons on him.” She flinched as the elder Milkovich landed another blow to her brothers face.  
“Fuckin' Terry...” Ian said quietly, so only Mandy could hear before he jogged over to where Mickey was pinned to the ground. “Terry! Stop!” Ian was now grabbing at the elder Milkovich and trying to pull him off of Mickey who just lay on the ground, limp. Once he was able to pull Terry off, Ian just stood there mesmerized at the sight of Mickey's bloody body, the extent of his injuries, he was unable to look away.  
“What's the matter, faggot pussy? You Scared of what I am about to do to you?” Terry picked something up off of the ground, next to Mickey, it glinted as it caught the glow of the streetlight; charging toward Ian, seeing the knife he blocked and sidestepped, tripping Terry, grabbing his neck and giving him a push so he fell flat on his face dropping the gun and knife. “Is that all you got, old man?” Ian mocked “I'm a lot tougher than you think, you know, for a gay guy.”  
Kev had also joined them now and was watching everything unfold as he stood next to Mandy.  
Terry struggled to get back to his feet, a scowl showing through the blood pouring down his face from a broken nose; as he mockingly laughed “Oh, really? Don't seem so tough to me.” He wound up and threw a punch toward Ian's face, which he avoided, throwing a punch back, it was blocked, back and forth they went, pounding their fists on each other like they were rowdy schoolboys, not grown men. As Mandy watched across the street, the phone up to her ear she whispered “Thank You” to the dispatcher before hanging up unable to stop watching the carnage in front of her. Blood and teeth flew, not Ian's she hoped; as they wailed on each other, tumbling on the ground and wrestling with each other for a few minutes before Ian was able to get away and stumble to his feet. Guard down, having knocked his head off of the hard ground at least once...maybe twice..he was a bit dizzy and disoriented. He looked up just in time to see Terry football tackle him to the ground, he hit it ass first, a sharp slicing pain in his abdomen as he fell back and knocking his head off of the ground again,Terry leaned down, grabbing the front of Ian's shirt, hissing at him in a whisper “I hope you die, you fucking faggot.” before another sharp pain, letting him go and drop to the ground where he was immediately unconscious.

“Oh, Fuck! … I.. I gotta run and tell Fi... find out which hospital he's going to...” Kev ran back toward the Gallagher house, as he did, cops flew by, on their way to the scene. No doubt they would want to talk to him too, but right now it was important that Fiona know what was going on. Not really something that should be said over the phone.  
“Fiona! Fiona!” He yelled as he got closer, his feet couldn't carry him there fast enough. Taking the front steps two at a time, he bounded up over them and in through the front door. “Fiona!!” Kev panted, out of breath as adrenaline surged through him as well as panic and a whole host of other emotions. “It's Ian, he's hurt. Bad. Milkovich roughed him up pretty good.”  
Upon hearing these words, Fiona and V both sobered up a bit. “What happened?” Fiona asked, eyeing the coffee pot.  
“Well, it turns out that Terry was released from prison a week ago. He'd spent that week trying to get back here all so he could bash the gay out of his son. Don't know why the fuck they would release someone like him. Anyway...”  
There was a pounding knock at the door followed by “Chicago PD.” Carl went to let them in, the officers led by their friend, Tony, who lives next door.  
“What's goin' on here, guys?”  
“Hey Tony!” Fiona greeted him with a smile “Keepin busy? Haven't seen ya much, even though you live next door.”  
“Yeah, graveyard shift. Sleep during the day.”  
“Ah, well, if we are too loud, I'm truly sorry. It won't happen again.”  
“As I was saying!” Kev interjected “Tony, you're right on time. I was about to tell the ladies what happened down the street. Terry's home, as you probably already know.” Tony nodded in agreement.  
“Turns out, he wanted to bash the gay out of Mickey!! Chased him, naked, down the street, poppin' off shots as he went. I dunno if any of em hit, if they did, Mickey just kept on runnin'. I swear I've never seen Mick run so fuckin' fast!” he gave a little chuckle. By the time I got to the lot, Mandy was already there, she chased 'em down the street so she seen everything. When I got there, they had already pummeled on each other, good. Bloody noses and split lips and whatever else. This next bit happened really fast, so I can't really remember.”  
“It's Ok.” Tony coaxed “Tell me what you know.”  
“Ian managed to get far away enough from Terry to stand up. His balance was off because he stumbled a couple of steps.”  
“Are you sure he wasn't drinking?”  
“No, not with the meds he's on, he can't drink. He must have hit his head as they were fighting. The next thing you know, Terry fucking football tackles him to the ground, Ian doesn't get up.”  
“Ok, that's good, Kev. It cooberates with Mandy's story. I take it, Ian was there to help Mickey?”  
“Yes.” Fiona answered “We were all here, family meeting. As soon as he seen the Milkovich's take off down the street, he went after them.”  
“Those two are still together?”  
“Off and on... got a bit rocky there a while back.”  
“Ok, well I have what I need here. Oh they are bringing them both to Mercy Hospital, so you can catch up with them there.”  
“Ok” Fiona couldn't help but tear up “D..do you know how their both doin'? Anything about their condition?”  
“No, sorry. If you hurry, you shouldn't be too far behind the ambulance.”  
“Thanks, Tony.”  
“I'll check in on you guys later, swing by on my rounds.”  
“Ok, sounds good.”  
With his job done there, Tony and the other PD member left. Immediately Kev spoke up his voice shaking and he looked like he was about to cry. This actually made Fiona burst into tears, Debbie joined by her side, sobbing too. “Is Iaaann Going .. t..t.. to die?” she wailed into Fiona's chest.  
“It's Ok, it's going to be alright.” Fiona tried to comfort her younger sibling but found herself crying again.  
Lip stood up, grabbing the car keys off of the counter “C'mon, I'll drive. Lets get to the hospital.”


	5. Ian The Hero

Hi there, can I Help you?” The lady at the nurse's desk asked politely.  
“Hi” Fiona smiled “We're here for Ian Gallagher.” Deja vu rung true and she shivered, ignoring it as the nurse checked the records.  
“Yes, he is going to be in room 3B, along with the Milkovich boy.”  
“Going to be?”  
“Yes, and you are?”  
“His sister, his siblings.”  
“Oh alright, if you want to wait, I can show you where our family waiting area is. He is in surgery right now.”  
“Surgery?”  
“I will have the doctor come talk to you about the extent of his injuries.” She led them down the hall to the post-op waiting room where they sat, closed off in a little room. Sound barriers prevented sound from entering or escaping, only when the door was opened. A Small tv in the corner played some lame game show and there was an array of outdated books. An hour and forty-one minutes later that felt like an eternity, they were all but asleep in their chairs when there was a knock on the glass door and a doctor entered the room, still dressed in scrubs.  
“Are you the Gallagher family?”  
“Yes,” Fiona took charge “How is he?” “Can we see him?” the questions rolling off of her tongue, one after the other.  
“Whoa slow down. We do need to talk about the extent of his injuries. Were the police able to tell you anything?”  
“No, I don't know any details.” The whole family had stopped what they were doing and were eagerly listening now.  
“Your brother received a couple of stab wounds to his lower abdomen, luckily neither did any damage to major organs or it could have been a lot worse. There's a couple of cracked ribs that will take some time to heal. The worst of it is his brain.” The doctor paused to let this sink in.”  
“What do you mean? Like, he's going to have permanent brain damage?”  
“No, but he will have quite the headache when he wakes up. His brain got jostled around a bit so now he's got some swelling and fluid build up. We are watching him closely to be sure but this sort of thing usually clears up on its own.” The doctor pulls out his phone from the pocket of his scrubs and looks at the time. “Ian should be in the recovery room now, I can bring you to see him if you'd like.”  
“Yes, please.”  
“Come, this way, all of you please.” The doctor led them down a long hallway, toward a set of double doors that said I.C.U.  
“ICU..Sheesh...” Fiona muttered to herself. Debbie, walking in front of her, heard it “This has to be serious...”  
The group stopped outside of a small room, where inside, a nurse tended to Ian and the various beeping machines around him, making notes on the clipboard in her hand. “Once the nurse is finished, you can go in. He should be awake and responsive, but not in any pain. We've given him local anesthetic as well as the general, so it will be a while before he actually feels anything. If you need me, I will be where you first found me!”

“Ok, thank you.” Fiona waved as the nurse walked away back to the nurse's station. Turning back to the room, she, like all other eyes there, are on Ian. Worry chorused through each of them for both Ian and Mickey who was also an honorary part of their family, even though the boys weren't together anymore, they had remained friends and thus, he was always welcome in their home. The nurse in the room finished up and came to the door, leaving it ajar for them. “He is awake, really groggy though so be patient with him. Keep things positive and if he asks about Mickey, tell him that you don't know anything just yet. I will see what I can find out for you.” With this, she walked away to go do as promised. Fiona was first into the room, followed by Lip and Debs, then Carl and Kev at the rear. Kev took a seat in one of two chairs up against the wall, Fiona and Deb went closer to the head of the bed on Ian's left, Lip on the right so he could sit in the vacant chair. Fiona stood and Deb decided to take a chair. Carl leaned up against the wall, next to the window.  
“Hey, Ian” Fiona smiled down at him “You took quite the beating from Terry Milkovich, I'm proud of you. Not many people have the guts to stand up to him like that. “  
“I'm even scared of him, just a little bit.” came Kev's voice from across the room.  
“Is that Kev?” Ian smiled as much as he could  
“Yes, Kev's here, Lip, Carl and Debbie too. V is at home with Liam and Frannie, we are all here for you, Ian, rooting for you to get better.” She smiled at him again.  
“How's...How is Mickey?” Fiona decided it was best for her to field the question.  
“We don't know right now, we haven't heard anything, but as soon as we do, we will let you know.”

It was Deb's turn now, so Fiona moved aside.  
“Hey, big brother. I'm glad you're ok. If you need me to do anything for you, just say the word, within reason of course.” Lip chuckled at this, as he could think of a few prank situations he could send their little sister into with her own words.”Frannie sends her love too and she wants her Uncle to come home soon.”  
“Thanks, Debs.” Came Ian's strained voice as he struggled to speak through swollen lips and face. It was clear he was starting to get tired.”Give Frannie cuddles from me.”  
“Will Do, big cuddles from Uncle...” Deb smiled, tears in her eyes as she moved away. It was hard seeing her older brother like this. She had to be strong but in reality, she wanted to cry.

Lip stood up now “Heya Ian, I'll make this quick. You're pretty brave taking on Terry like that. That motherfucker deserved it though for wailing on Mickey like he did. There's not many people that would take on a Milkovich and you have, in more ways than one.“ He grinned sheepishly “The things you'll do for true love, hey? You hang in there, Ok, get some rest. I'll be back during visiting hours tomorrow.”  
With that, the family left the room, leaving Ian to rest. Instead, his head was starting to pound, his mind running wild, the events from earlier running through his brain, trying to remember what condition Mickey was in before he himself passed out. It was no use. Everything was coming to him in bits and pieces, his head seemed foggy. Finally, what seemed like forever, he drifted off.


	6. Does He Even Love Me?.....

When Ian woke again, there was a nurse to his right, checking the monitors and IV lines and writing things on his chart. As he turned his head she noticed “Oh, you're awake! How are you feeling, Ian?”  
“Like shit...”  
“Your body has been through a very traumatic experience. Feeling 'like shit' as you put it, is to be expected. In order for you to heal, you need lots of rest and pain management. Are you in any pain right now?”  
Ian had turned his head towards the new sounds in the room, monitors and the whoosh of a ventilator. Even though the dried blood on his face and in his black hair, even under the swelling and bruises, Ian knew it was Mickey.  
“Mickey!” Ian tries to push himself up with what little strength that he has, his arms shaking as he does as pain rips through his abdomen from the stab wounds “Ahhhh! Shit!”  
“You need to lie back down, Ian or you're going to rip stitches.”  
The blanket had fallen away when he moved and he looked down now; to see two raised, red, angry looking stab sites which had been closed with black sutures which crisscrossed over the wound. Pain shot through the two fractured ribs “Holy fuck!”  
“Mr. Gallagher, tone it down, please.” She helped him lay back down as she said this.  
“Oh, sorry.”  
“Now, where were we? Oh yes, how's your pain?”  
“Really?...”  
“You have two stab wounds and two broken ribs for a start, hows your pain on a scale of one to ten?”  
“I dunno, about a seven or … Ahhh!!...Definitely Ten!” More pain shot through him as he lay back.  
“Don't worry, the morphine will start to work really soon.” As she said this, Ian was feeling light headed and a little woozy.  
“Mickey...is he going to be alright?” He blinked slowly, suddenly very tired as the morphine started to take hold. 

When Ian woke again, there was a nurse to his right, checking the monitors and IV lines and writing things on his chart. As he turned his head she noticed “Oh, you're awake! How are you feeling, Ian?”  
“Like shit...”  
“Your body has been through a very traumatic experience. Feeling 'like shit' as you put it, is to be expected. In order for you to heal, you need lots of rest and pain management. Are you in any pain right now?”  
Ian had turned his head towards the new sounds in the room, monitors and the whoosh of a ventilator. Even though the dried blood on his face and in his black hair, even under the swelling and bruises, Ian knew it was Mickey.  
“Mickey!” Ian tries to push himself up with what little strength that he has, his arms shaking as he does as pain rips through his abdomen from the stab wounds “Ahhhh! Shit!”  
“You need to lie back down, Ian or you're going to rip stitches” The blanket had fallen away when he moved and he looked down now; to see two raised, red, angry looking stab sites which had been closed with black sutures which crisscrossed over the wound. Pain shot through the two fractured ribs “Holy fuck!”  
“Mr. Gallagher, tone it down, please.” She helped him lay back down as she said this.  
“Oh, sorry.”  
“Now, where were we? Oh yes, how's your pain?”  
“Really?...”  
“You have two stab wounds and two broken ribs for a start, hows your pain on a scale of one to ten?”  
“I dunno, about a seven or … Ahhh!!...Definitely Ten!” More pain shot through him as he lay back.  
“Don't worry, the morphine will start to work really soon.” As she said this, Ian was feeling light headed and a little woozy.  
“Mickey...is he going to be alright?” He blinked slowly, suddenly very tired as the morphine started to take hold. 

 

The next however many days went by melded together in a blur of visitors, pain, tears, and medication to take the edge off. However, when he awoke on that Thursday, his head felt clearer than it had in a long time, even though a headache that had been blinding him was now just a dull ache and it felt like he was hung over. Uncomfortable, he carefully turned over on his left side, taking care to move carefully and not tweak his ribs. His chest on the right, where the fractured ribs were, was turning every shade of black, purple and blue as it bruised. The stab wounds were healing and not as angry as before.  
When he was awake, the sound of the ventilator had become a comfort. It was a sign that Mickey was still alive and that gave him hope. Just like how he stared at Mickey now, laying there, so lifeless, his chest going up and down with the ventilator. Ian just lay there, watching him for a while, not moving even when a nurse came into the room to check on them.  
“Hello Ian, how are we today?” She came around the bed, his chart in her hands.  
“Hi Latisha, I'm doing ok. I'm more worried about Mickey...”  
“Let's look at you first, alright. Are you in any pain?”  
Ian rolled his eyes at the question that has been asked a zillion and one times “Not a lot, just tender on the ribs and face from where I took a beating.”  
“Think it's something that you can manage at home?”  
“I'd rather stay here if that's ok...with him...” Ian pointed toward Mickey as he turned back over in bed, groaning a bit.  
“I'm sorry, that's not the way it works. If you are well enough, we have to discharge you and send you home. We just don't have enough beds. You are welcome to come back during visiting hours, of course.” she smiled at him “And what is your relationship to Mr. Mikovich?”  
“I'm his boyfriend. Well, I mean I hope things can be better between us after all of this and we can be together again. We've been off and on for a long time.”  
“I take it the two of you have been through a lot together?”  
Ian smiled “Heh..yeah, you could say.. something like that.”  
“Ok, I'm all finished here and everything looks good. The doctor is going to come in and do one final exam but from here it looks like everything has healed nicely and you should start packing your things. There's a good chance the doctor will discharge you today. Is there anyone I can call for you for a ride?”  
Ian grabbed his cell phone from the bedside table “No, it's Ok, I got it.”


	7. Son Of Rage and Love

Fiona and her staff at Patsy's had just finished the breakfast rush and were now getting ready to head into lunch when her cell phone rang. Fiona laid down the bus tray and retrieved her phone from her pocket. “Hey, Ian! How ya feelin'?'” she answered, heading toward her office for more privacy and quiet.  
“Good, good.” she heard him say on the other end of the line “Hey the nurse thinks they are going to discharge me today, can you come; pick me up?”  
This made Fiona excited and want to squeal with glee, although there were still a few regulars hanging around, taking their time over morning coffee. “Of course! I'll be right there, just gotta let someone know I'm leavin'.”  
“Alright, thanks, Fiona.” Ian ended the call. Fiona couldn't wait until the rest of the family arrived home that night, they were going to be so surprised. 

Forty minutes later, Fiona showed up to Ian's hospital room with fresh jeans and a t-shirt and sweater that she had bought for him from home. He had packed his things and he was waiting for the doctor to arrive with the discharge papers.  
“Ian?”  
He turned as she entered the room “Hey Fiona.”  
“I bought you some fresh clothes..are you all ready to go home?” By the look on his face, Fiona could tell that something wasn't right. “Wanna talk?” she came around and sat next to him on the bed. Looking into his eyes now she could see the hurt and pain that lay there.  
“It hurts soo much, Fiona.” His eyes teared up and he couldn't help the tears just came. “To see him lying there like that and knowing that there's nothing else I can do to help him.” He broke down into sobs. Fiona grabbed a pillow, pressing it to his ribs to make it easier as they ached with every sob. “I know, I know.” She comforted him, rubbing his back lightly “Now you know how I feel when I get worried about you guys!” she playfully pointed out, pulling rank as the oldest sibling at the same time.  
“Thanks, Fiona, for always being there for all of us...and Mickey and Mandy too.”  
“Of course! I'm your sister. It's also what we south-siders do.” 

Beeeeeeeepppp a flat tone emitted from a heart monitor next to Mickey. The ventilator stopped moving and alarms sounded. Code Blue came over the intercom system and within seconds, a bunch of hospital staff ran into the room, including the doctor with the discharge papers. Another nurse immediately behind him pushing a crash cart. They all began to feverishly work on Mickey, trying to bring him back.  
'Clear...and shocking...' came the call as they shocked Mickey's chest again, for the second time only for the heart monitor to emit the same flat tone.  
“Mickey! No!”  
“Ian! Ian! Calm down!” Fiona tried to grab him and hold him back “Just let them..” Ian broke free from her grasp and ran over to them, frantic and starting to get manic.  
“Mickey! Mickey! C'mon Please! Please! Mickey NO! Don't give up, you can't give up! Please!”  
“Someone get security up here!”  
Two orderlies entered the room and grabbed Ian, pulling him back, away from Mickey. Ian continues to struggle in their grip. “Let go of me! Let go!” he is crying and hysterical now. Fiona still sitting on the bed, her hand in a fist up to her mouth, tears running down her cheeks.  
“Calm down, Mr. Gallagher, or we will be forced to sedate you, do you understand?”  
“Let Go! Just Let Me Go! Please! Mickey! Mickey!!! Please! Please!” Ian pleaded as he struggled. Everything a blur, with tunnel vision he was unable to take his eyes off of the bed where Mickey lay and the people around him, working to save his life.  
“Clear!” the doctor shocked Mickey again with the same result, a flatline.  
“Alright folks, I think that's all we can do...”  
“Wait!” Ian broke loose from the orderlies grip, only to be grabbed by Fiona.  
“Whoa, Ian c'mere.” She ushered him back next to his bed, speaking low “Hey, listen to me, Ian look at me.”  
Fiona put her hands on each side of her brother's face, Ian's lower lip was quivering, eyes flooded with tears she could see his heart breaking.“They have done all they can, sweetheart.” Ian tried to look away, back toward Mickey but Fiona stopped him “Focus on me, I'm right here, Ian.” Fiona was crying too, she wiped at tears as she wrapped her arms around her younger sibling.  
Ian had already turned back as his sister hugged him “No! No!! Noo!!! “he burst out of Fiona's arms, taking five steps forward before he stopped and just stood there as he watched the doctor unhook the ventilator, calling it; as a nurse reached up and turned the heart monitor off. “Time of death, 11:13 a.m.“ Everything around him seemed to stop; the whole room fell into a moment of silence. Suddenly he felt a bit light headed and dizzy. Unrelenting tears blurred his vision and inside his chest, it felt as if his heart was being ripped in two as grief overwhelmed him. 

Everything else felt minuscule and worthless.  
Hopelessness had made a pit in the bottom of his stomach and it wasn't leaving.  
Sinking to his knees, although he knew there were other people in the room who love him and care about him, at this moment, he felt completely alone.  
“Mick..” he choked out through heartwrenching sobs, his whole body shuddered with pain “Mick, you can't...” he sobbed, he choked it back, sniffling “Please..please ….don't leave me...” His whole body shuddered and shook with pain with each sob as he sat on his knees on the floor. It overflowed in his tears, spilling down on to the hospital gown he still wore. Grief so heavy, it felt like his heart was going to cease to beat at any minute, the pain in his chest almost sharp. 

Fiona, overcome with grief and emotion herself was unsure of what she should or rather, could do for Ian so she just let him be for the moment. His mood could also turn unstable and he may lash out at her, best to let him calm down a bit. She could tell he was overcome with grief when a minute or so later, he began wailing inconsolably and she couldn't take it anymore. She walked over to the doctor who was standing next to the bed where Mickey's body lay.  
“Doctor, is there anything we can do?” she motioned to her brother on the floor as security came into the room, followed by another nurse. “I don't want him to be arrested. He's bipolar....”  
“Well, you are his guardian, yes?”  
“I am.”  
“Do you consider him a danger to himself or a possible danger to others?”  
“If you let him out of here right now and let me take him home?.. she glanced at Ian who was still crying inconsolably ”Yes.” it was the half-truth. She wanted him to be safe but didn't think he would go as far as to hurt himself.  
“Does he have a history of attempted suicide?”  
“No. Why?”  
“Just standard questions. Has he experienced anything like this before?”  
“Uhh....that's really a hard one, Doc. We're a family of six living on the south side with an absent mother and a drunk, addict father who's in and out. Every time he comes back into the house it's nothing but added chaos and drama.”  
The doctor was scribbling notes on Ian's chart “Go on.” he raised his head and looked at her “Added chaos and drama you say?”  
“Yes, I've been raising my siblings basically since I was fifteen so it's a pretty long story. Making ends meet, cooking, cleaning, being a mom instead of being a teenager. I've also made some bad choices that have affected my siblings. I'm not really the best when it comes to pickin' guys.” she smiled “Then there's Frank, Monica, our half-wit half-sister, Sammi and her equally half-witted son, Chuckie. Throw in a few great friends and crazy neighbors and you pretty much have our life. I could stand here tellin' you stories all day of all the things that happen in our neighborhood. Some of it ain't so pretty.” She scrunched up her nose as she said this.  
“I see, you said your brother is also Bipolar. Is there anyone else in your family?”  
“Our mother, Monica. She refuses to take meds, has for years. So when we saw Ian starting to show signs, we knew what they were.”  
“Alright, At this point, I would like to have him sedated to calm him down as he is clearly starting to go manic. I would also like to have him admitted to the psychiatric ward for a full evaluation and to help him work through some of the issues he is experiencing, including this loss. It is important that we get a support system in place for him. This will also include a med evaluation and any adjustments that are needed.”  
“No, you touch him, he's gonna completely freak out right now. Please, can I try talking to him first?”  
“We need to take care of this before he does lash out.” He nodded at the orderlies and nurse who walked toward Ian.  
“Please! You're possibly setting them up to get hurt right now. I'm his sister, the one who's been raising him since he was almost twelve. Maybe I can reason with him, get him to commit voluntarily. I've done it before with him.”  
The doctor ordered the orderlies and nurse to stop. “Alright.” he said to Fiona, “Go talk to him.”  
“Thank You.”


	8. It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

Fiona hesitated a moment before going to him, she knelt down in front of him so they were face to face like they had many times before through their lives. When Monica disappeared, Frank would come in and out, different challenges that they had faced over the years. Even though Ian was younger by almost three years, he was still a stubborn redhead. She had learned how to talk to him, reason with him and make a choice, the better choice, for his well being. Especially in the last few years when his Bipolar had so far, been at it's worst.  
“Hey little brother.” she rubbed his arm affectionately like she always has. “Look at me for a sec.” She raises his head with her finger under the dimple in his chin, their eyes meet.  
“Fiona..”  
“I know, I know... C'mere.” She wraps her arms around him in a big hug, which he reciprocates. After the long hug, she stares him in the face again “'We have to have a serious talk, ok?”  
“About what?”  
“This. Ian. …...”  
“Can't it wait? I mean for fuck sake, I just lost Mickey!” Ian turned away, fresh tears came along with anger. Ian knew that if he didn't walk away, he would probably end up hurting Fiona. He stared at where Mickey lay, his siblings Mandy and Iggy were next to him now, visibly upset.  
“No, it 'can't ..” He broke off from Fiona and went to Mickey's bedside.  
“Mandy, Iggy... I am Soo sorry for what happened. I mean, I did all I could but it still wasn't enough to save him. I...I feel responsible.”  
Mandy shook her head “No, Ian you aren't responsible for this in any way. It's all my dad's fault” she rolled her eyes “may he rot in fucking hell!” tears sprung to her eyes again and she leaned against the wall, closing them momentarily “You tried to save him, we know that and we know that you did all you could.”  
“I could have done more.”  
“Don't think of the 'Could of's' or 'what if's' Ian.” Fiona had joined them now “What's done is done”  
  
  
Turning around Ian walked the few to Mickey's bedside, gripping the railing to hold himself steady. Staring down into Mickey's face, his skin pale, eyes closed; it just made all the emotions swell right back up springing tears to his eyes that started to flow like a river.  
“Ian, are you ok?”It was Fiona.  
“Yeah,” he answered her, not turning around, not wanting any of them seeing his tears. Although Mandy said it wasn't his fault, he still felt responsible because he was unable to save Mickey from Terry's wrath and protect him like he should have, like he would for any other person that he considered family. Now, the love of his life was gone, he felt like he was all alone in the world, even though there were family and friends around him. Empty inside, as if nothing could fill that void that Mickey had left but a gaping hole. Sadness and anger mixed with grief caught in his throat as he choked on a sob as it all became more real and overwhelming as the coroner came in to remove Mickey's body and take it to the morgue.  
Ian broke down again, sobbing uncontrollably unable to catch his breath his knees buckled out from under him. “Oh Geez!” Fiona rushed forward and caught him, throwing an arm over her shoulder to support him. The doctor and a nurse rushed over to him as well “Let's sit him down.” The doctor suggested, Fiona and a nurse guiding him to a nearby chair.  
Fiona knelt down in front of him “Ian, can we have that talk now, please?” She laid a hand comfortingly on his knee “But first, you need to calm down a little bit, alright? Do you want me to get you some water?”  
Ian nodded, Lip immediately went to get water.  
“We need to talk, Ok?” Fiona reiterated.  
“Here ya go.” Lip handed Ian the water, which he sipped with shaky hands.  
“Take a couple deep breaths, no rush.” Fiona turned to the group “If you guys wouldn't mind, I'd like to talk to Ian in private, please?” Everyone else that was in the room backed off, the doctor and nurses off to other duties. Mandy and Iggy waited outside the door to give them space.  
  
  
Once everyone was gone, Fiona turned back to Ian “Ian, I know that this is really hard for you right now and you know that we all love you, very, very much, right?”  
“Yeah.”  
“We also know that you don't want to hear this, but your gonna.'”  
“What?”  
“We all think that it would be in your best interest if instead of coming home today, you stay here for a while, check yourself into the psych ward? I heard the psychiatrist here is really good!” she added optimistically.  
“Really?” Ian gave his older sister a look of sarcasm, tongue in cheek as if he wanted to say something. A few things crossed his mind.  
“Yes, really...”  
“So now...you're abandoning me too?”  
“What? Ian? No! You know I would never do that to you. What I want fo you is what is in your best interests right now.”  
“My best interests? Well, I am sorry to disappoint you with whatever that is, I know what I'm doing. I'm sorry I'm such a fucking burden, Fiona! Fuck!” He pushes himself up out of the chair as he says this, nearly knocking Fiona over.  
“That's Not!”  
Crossing the room, he picks up the bag of clothes Fiona had left on the bed for him as a nurse comes to the door and sees him as he pulls his jeans out of the bag and puts them on. She hurries away quickly.  
Hauling off the gown, Ian takes out the dark red t-shirt and pulls it on. Taking his runners out from under the bed, he puts them on, all without a word. Crossing the room, he has his hand on the door handle.  
“Fiona....” her name came out, drenched in sadness and despair. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Her heart was breaking a little bit too as she stopped to stand in the center of the room. “  
“What is it, Ian?”  
“H......”Tears gathered in his eyes “He was the love of my life, Fiona.” He opens the door as at the other end of the hall, the elevator dings. “I just thought that you should know that.”

Two security guards step into the hall as Ian pushes past people in the hall and disappears down the stairwell........


End file.
